Brett Davis - AsiaLIFE Magazine

note from the editor
Tom
DiChristopher
Mick Jagger perhaps said it
best when he sang, “You can’t
always get what you want.” This
is something that Vietnam’s
youth may find out in the coming
decades.
In this month’s feature section,
deputy editor Beth Young
and contributing editor Thomas
Maresca contribute complimentary
articles on the wants of and
prospects for teenagers growing
up in post-doi moi Vietnam.
They are a generation growing
up with unprecedented access
to wealth and the world beyond
Vietnam. Indeed, the country
is often portrayed as the next
Asian tiger, still catching up to
Thailand and Malaysia but well
ahead of Cambodia and Laos.
In the abstract, Vietnam is a land
of limitless possibility. In reality,
caveats and qualifications loom
on the horizon.
Read together, Beth and
Tom’s articles illustrate this. For
example, teenagers expressed
that parents often push them into
“hot” (re: prestigious) jobs in the
focus groups organized by market
research firm TNS Vietnam
that Beth attended. However,
Tom’s research and interviews
turned up evidence that suggests
degrees in these fields do not
necessarily qualify students to
perform in their requisite duties.
What’s more, cultural notions of
prestige are contributing to an
over-valuation of degrees. Meanwhile,
Vietnam lacks adequate
skilled workers in part because
vocational school is undervalued.
If Vietnam is to take advantage
of the “demographic bonus” Tom
explores in “Growing Pains,”
change needs to happen sooner
than later. That might mean
re-orienting ideas about how
Vietnam can continue to develop
and break the trend in Southeast
Asia of stalling at lower-middle
income status.
To do that, Vietnam and its
youth might heed the second
part of the Stones’ refrain: “But
if you try sometime well you
just might find / You get what
you need.” With too few spots
available to college hopefuls, it’s
impossible for everyone to get
what they want. It would seem
that only through thoughtfulness
and creativity will Vietnam’s
youth be able to work within the
context of this singular moment
in the country’s history and fulfill
their needs.
AsiaLIFE Seeks Editorial Intern
AsiaLIFE is seeking an intern
to support our editorial
team. Our ideal intern has
an educational background
and/or some practical experience
in writing, can commit
to regular office hours and
has an interest in publishing
as a career. Duties include
writing short copy and
articles, researching, factchecking
and proofreading.
Demonstrated command of
English-language usage and
grammar is a must. Please
send resumes to tom@asialifehcmc.com
with “editorial
intern” in the subject line.
Brett Davis
Cover
Brett Davis has been peddling words in one
form or another for over a decade to support
various addictions. Chief among these are
French restaurants, single malt whisky and
his wife; although not necessarily in that
order. Brett has written for newspapers,
magazines and television news in Australia,
China and Vietnam, and has been called
"one of the best journalists in our family" by
his mother. He was recently acquired by a
stray cat named TC.
Art Direction - 365 Days Creative Studio
Photography - Fred Wissink
Model - Michael Studebaker
Lolita Guevarra
Lolita Guevarra comes from California and
returns to writing after years in academic
publishing. Although she misses working
with brilliant yet neurotic professors, she
embraces her new challenges of learning
Vietnamese and navigating traffic. Upon
finishing a stint as the English editor with
Vietnamese News Agency in Hanoi, she
relocated to HCM City and continues writing
freelance. Her musings on life can be found
at tuesdayzgone.blogspot.com.
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